Tell about yourself and your background! *
I started with martial arts back in my origin country Turkey. When I was a kid I always wanted to train martial arts but my father didn’t allow me to do it because for him it’s violent instead he enrolled me soccer club but next training session I quit and had started learning martial arts secretly from friends. In 2001 I met with a black belt karate guy and we decide to shoot some simple fight choreographies. First outcome was pretty bad and lame. So we decided to work harder on the camera angles and our actings. Later on we got better and better so we decided to make a showreel disc and we delivered to some producers back in Turkey. In couple of years I broke into market without any stunt coordinators because we didn’t have any proper stunt coordinators back then. Everything we had to figure out by ourselves try and fail or try and success. So I watched too many behind the scene footages from Hollywood movies that I can learn any tips regarding stunts. When I had to do high falls, car crashes, glass stunts etc I really had to do it because Turkey didn’t have any stunt coordinators back then and I had to do everything on set without letting producers know I hadn’t done any of those stunts before. In 2008 I flew to Los Angeles to learn more about stunts in 2009 I went to Hong Kong and I became the first stuntman ever in Turkey to learn stunts abroad.
What inspired you to become a stunt performer?
When I was very little kid my father brought home a VHS player and I asked him to bring me all kind of martial arts action movies. I was keep watching them day and night, I remember once my primary school teacher complained about me to my mom saying that “Ok you shouldn’t let him watch all those movies.” As soon as I watched those movies I went outside instead of playing soccer like everyone else I was keep climbing and jumping around. I was trying to imitate whatever I saw on the screen it was real magic for me back then.
What is your greatest skill as a stunt performer, is there a stunt behind it?
I would say I love martial arts and I love Hong Kong style fighting so much. Speed, precision and timing are fundamentals so I focus on martial arts so much and when it comes to hit the ground I think I’m best at it.
What is the best part about being a stunt performer?
Every job means different adventure. Meeting with new people and doing different stunts on every single project. Overcome your fears, learning new skill sets. Never gets boring. Also it allows you to access more places than individuals out there. For example when you go for shooting at airport, restricted areas, army zones etc
Tell your all-time favorite stunt story!
Working on Water Diviner a Russell Crowe movie and stunt coordinator was great Doug Coleman. I had a fight scene against Russell and had to kick him hard in the stomach. I was a bit nervous because he is a big actor didn’t want to cause any trouble. I approached Doug and told him that I feel a bit nervous and he told me to have fun and it really helped. Before we shot that fight Russell came and asked me what’s my favorite soccer team? And I don’t support any of the teams in fact but I had to tell him a team so I came up Galatasaray which is one of the soccer club in Turkey. Then he said “ok imagine you’re Galatasaray and gonna penalty kick against Fenerbahce (another big soccer team from Turkey. And I was surprised he knows all the teams in Turkey) so go hard on it” he said. So we shot the fight and after we cut I asked him “ how was it? Are you ok? And he replied me holding is stomach “Go Galatasaray” and we both laughed.
What advice would you give other stunt performers?
I see some performers think this job is like life savings, curing cancer or saving the rain forest. Take it easy and it’s all about entertainment. Do not step on others to rise yourself. Do not lie on your abilities and fears.
Anything else you'd like to tell the community about?
Always be a student and keep learning.
Please share your social media handles and how we can follow you!
https://instagram.com/fatihaction?utm_medium=copy_link
Please include any links to stunt reels or videos you'd like to share!
